Tips for the Everyday Battle Against Fat

Losing weight is a very challenging goal for most people. Many have some success losing weight and keeping it off, others find it difficult to stick to a plan and keep the weight off. Here are ten ways to lose weight that will help you keep it off.

Keep it simple. Many people fail due the change of lifestyle is too difficult. Keeping the change as simple as possible can help this transition. So many diets seem to have you counting several different things (calories, protein, carbs, and sodium, among other things) and have so many rules it really can make it hard to stick to. My suggestion is to simplify it, just count calories. That's it. Don't pay particular attention to protein, fat, or carb content. You will find that keeping with in your calorie range that veggies are low in calories and that carb and fat filled foods are high in calories. No counting of these indices is needed. Chances are if you are eating the appropriate amount of calories you wont be able to eat too much of them anyway.

Know your daily caloric needs. Just simply knowing how many calories you need each day to lose weight is very important. First you will need to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). If you a couple hundred calories less than your BMR and exercise a few times per week for 30 minutes, you will lose weight. For every 3500 calories you cut from your diet or work off while exercising you will burn on pound of fat. Count your calories. SparkPeople is a great and free weight loss website with excellent calorie counting tools. Counting calories forms good eating habits that should increase your chances of keeping the weight off; eventually you will be able to do it off the top of your head.

Eat whatever you want. I'm serious. In my experience it has never been easy to lose weight and keep it off if I eliminate all of the foods I love. You can have pizza, ice cream, and chocolate and still lose weight. The key is to read the nutritional value on the back of the package and know how many calories is in a serving. Then decide on the appropriate serving for your daily calorie range. One square of chocolate, a Skinny Cow brand ice cream bar or small slice of pie are all fine treats. Just take smaller portions of most tasty treats and you can still have them.

Don't drink sodas. I know, it contradicts the tip above but this is the one thing you should stay away from. The average can of non-diet soda has around 180-200 calories. If you have a three can per day habit, you are drinking the caloric equivalent of four pounds of fat each month.

Are you always hungry? Try eating foods high in fiber and protein. Many fruits, veggies, and beans are high in fiber while meat and eggs are high in protein. A handful of peanuts is a great snack and is high in both fiber and protein. Try using flax seed oil on your food. In addition to flax seed oil making you feel fuller it also has a large range benefits ranging from lower cholesterol and improved immune system to increased stamina and increased muscle recovery from exertion.

Exercise is a must. Sure you can lose weight without exercise but you will lose weight faster and be able to eat more if you exercise. Depending on your fitness level a daily walk for 30 minutes may be enough. If you can't walk a full 30 minutes, try walking 15 and working your way up. Raising your overall activity level is easy and effective just play with the kids outside more, take the stairs, walk to the store or start a garden.

Strength training is not just of the guys. Strength training is has many benefits for both men and women. For women in particular, it helps counteract osteoporosis and heart disease. There is also the common myth lifting weights will make a woman more manly looking and very muscular. The fact is that women don't have enough testosterone to build muscle like men do. I suggest a beginner strength training exercise program to start with.

Weigh yourself monthly, not daily. Weight loss is more of a marathon than a sprint. Keep that in mind because losing 4-8 pounds per month is considered good. Larger people may lose more than that but for must of us 4-8 pounds per month is a good pace. With that in mind, it's important to not constantly weight yourself because it will only discourage you. Your body weight can change quite a lot over the course of a day due to water content, the time of day, when you last ate and other factors. You should not expect to see the scale go down everyday. The best practice is to choose a day every month to weight yourself. Be sure to wearing the same amount of clothing every time. I also suggest weighing in right away in the morning after a quick bathroom break. Consistency is extremely important; weight yourself under the same conditions each time.

Get support. It's hard to do it on your own. If you have a good friend or know someone else trying to lose weight they can be a great resource and motivator. Alternatively, if you don't know anyone you feel comfortable talking to, you can visit the community at SparkPeople where thousands of people congregate for the same purpose.

Don't get discouraged. Everyone who is trying to lose weight and stay fit will have bad days where they don't feel motivated to exercise or gave in to temptation. This is normal. Even though you may have gave in and had that 5000 calorie fast food meal it's not a "throw away" day. When you give in don't make things worse and continue the pattern, hop back on immediately afterward. The occasional slip up won't sink your weight loss (maybe for that week or day), just don't let them discourage you and push you back to your old ways.

Sources:

Strong Women Still Stay Slim: Why Women Should Train With Weights by Paul Rogers

Bmi-calculator.net

Spark People.com

What is flax seed oil and what are the benefits(essortment.com)